Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil; place on baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Open foil carefully (steam will escape). Cool. Peel beets; finely grate into medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle 2 smooth kitchen towels with flour. Place 8 pasta rounds on work surface, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic. Place small bowl of water next to work surface. Spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each round. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge of 1 round. Fold dough over filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges firmly to seal. Transfer to prepared towels. Repeat with remaining rounds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen solid, about 6 hours. Transfer ravioli to resealable plastic bags.)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and stir in poppy seeds; keep warm. Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with melted butter; toss to coat. Divide ravioli among 8 plates; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Market Tip
The flavor, color, and texture of roasted fresh beets is incomparable, so don't even consider using the canned variety. When choosing beets, select bunches with bright, glossy leaves attached.

SELECT LATEST REVIEWS

This was yummy! This was my first time making ravioli and they turned out very well. The Fresh Egg Pasta recipe is perfect. The filling is delicious. Yes, they were fiddly to make but next time will be a snap. Thanks Epicurious!

ykdonna from Yellowknife Northwest Territories / 03.09.13

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I cannot say enough
about this recipe.
The end result might
be one of the most
elegant
presentations I have
ever made, and it
was entirely worth
the effort.
I had never roasted
beets before, and
had always been
intimidated by the
idea. It turns out
there was nothing to
be afraid of, and
the flavor far
exceeded any other
beets I have ever
consumed. I look
forward to making
these again and
again.

opusfish from Saint Louis, MO / 11.19.12

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I'm in with Yellowkitchen. Just mash the beets and throw in the cheese (goat + parmesan). Someday if I'm feeling profligate with my calories, I'll make some spelt macaroni and dress it with brown butter and poppy seeds. And then pile the on beets-and-cheese.
Oh, and why peel the beets, anyway? Do you peel potatoes? If you do, you're throwing away the best part. Same goes for beets.

alecto07 from montreal / 10.16.11

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Next time I won't bother making ravioli, I will just mash the beets, add the cheeses, poppy seeds, a little butter and some of the beet greens--perhaps shredded on top of freshly made pasta and wa la! Flavors are great. I used a locally made goat cheese instead of ricotta.

Yellowkitchen / 07.09.11

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So gorgeous and
delicious! Even my
anti-beet husband
loved this. Wish
I'd read the reviews
first, though - some
blue cheese in the
filling and some
sage in the butter
would have made them
even better. I used
wonton wrappers
sealed with just
water, and they were
perfectly cooked and
still intact after 2
minutes of boiling.
Served with "Quick
Sauteed Kale with
Toasted Pine Nuts"
after a starter of
the "Mango Caprese
Salad", both from
Epicurious, for a
delicious and
colorful early
summer supper.

A Cook from Moscow, Idaho / 06.19.11

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A great recipe (especially for those who don't like the taste of beets). I followed the recipe for the filling and thought it was great. But for the butter, I added some fresh sage which I think went very nicely.

hungry_chef from Toronto, ON / 03.04.11

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Labor intensive, but
absolutely worth it!
I agree with the
addition of goat
cheese (though I
used a little
ricotta as well, for
body), and I also
tossed in some
toasted, chopped
walnuts, which added
texture. Browned
the butter sauce,
which lent a nice
nuttiness. I'm not
sure that the poppy
seeds added much,
except for visual
contrast, so I'll
probably leave them
out next time.
Also, the sauce
would be exceptional
with a splash of
balsamic vinegar, to
add some acidity.
Overall, a
delicious,
crowd-pleasing dish!

A Cook from San Francisco, CA / 02.17.11

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The idea for the dish is great, and I will make it again with some changes. I followed the recipe exactly, but would have been better off taking other reviewers' suggestions into consideration. The filling begs for a good salty cheese, and I couldn't taste any flavor from the poppy seeds, though I used them generously. I will skip the poppy seeds and add fresh herbs to the butter the next time I try this.

Scattergorical / 01.10.11

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Delicious and easy to make. Took suggestions from other reviews and added gorgonzola cheese, lemon zest, and sage leaves for flavor. The uncooked ravioli seems to freeze well.

A Cook from Montrose, CO / 12.28.10

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This is our favorite Christmas Eve dinner, but with some changes. Because the beets are mild and sweet, we like to use chevre goat cheese instead of the ricotta to add richness. we also add some lemon zest and a bit of salt to the beets to add a bit more fuller flavor. As for the browned butter sauce, it is FABulous, but we add sage and pine nuts instead of poppy seeds. We finish the dish off with deep-fried shallots. Add a side of roasted brussel sprouts and a green salad and you've gone to heaven.